Coroner’s Inquest: Amy Winehouse Died from Alcohol Poisoning

The coroner's office in London today finally released the results of Amy Winehouse's autopsy. The singer officially died in July 2011 from alcohol poisoning. Her blood alcohol level at her time of death registered at 416 mg/100 mL blood, more than five times the legal limit for driving in Britain. Winehouse's family released a statement that indicated that the singer had just started drinking again after an attempt at sobriety.

Alcohol poisoning occurs when the body cannot process all of the alcohol ingested in a short period of time. The main organ that processes alcohol is the liver, and Winehouse's liver may have already been damaged by chronic alcoholism. According to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol poisoning can cause irregular breathing and seizures. Winehouse's family has stated in the past that she suffered from seizures in her attempts to overcome her alcoholism.

The coroner's report ends the longstanding speculation that Amy Winehouse died from withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from alcohol can cause similar symptoms to alcohol poisoning. The report reiterated that Winehouse had no illegal drugs in her system at the time of death.

Amy Winehouse had a history of drug and alcohol abuse. According to her family, she was able to kick the drug habit but had a much harder time with alcohol. She had several public appearances and concerts in the past two years where she seemed to be under the influence and exhibited inappropriate behavior.

In October 2009, Winehouse turned up late to Britain's prestigious Q Awards. She was to present an award to singer Robert Plant, but arrived a few minutes after an alternate presenter went on stage. Halfway through Plant's acceptance speech, Winehouse began yelling and swearing, stunning the room.

In June of this year, Amy Winehouse kicked off her European tour with a performance in Belgrade. The singer came on stage and performed for an hour and a half - slurring and stumbling her way through her set list. She was ultimately booed off the stage and, shortly thereafter, cancelled the rest of the tour.

Winehouse had attended residential rehabilitation several times, both voluntarily and by court order, but was ultimately unable to beat all of her demons.